Sign structure



J. H. CYRUS SIGN STRUCTURE Feb. 1, 1966 Filed Sept. 20, 1965 INVENTOR.

JOHN H. CYRUS United States Patent 3,231,994 SIGN STRUCTURE. John H. Cyrus, 7128 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, Fla. Filed Sept. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 310,258 4 Claims. (Cl. 40125) The present invention relates to sign structures particularly suitable for portable signs.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a portable sign comprising two like sign panels hinged together along adjacent top co-extending edges by hinge structure which permits reversal of the panels relative to one another so that they may be arranged with the sign bearing surfaces face to face or with these surfaces facing outwardly and the panels inclined toward their hinged edges to form a self-supporting sign, hand grip means being provided at the hinged edges of the panels for affording a hand grip for carrying or manipulating the sign when the panels are in either of the two positions mentioned. By this construction, the sign can be stored or carried by the hand grip with the sign bearing surfaces of the panels facing one another so that these surfaces are well protected from scuffing, fading or the like, and when the sign is erected it can also be moved about or shifted by the hand grip means.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a panel hinge and hand grip structure for signs of the character referred to comprising an elongated hand grip which can be grasped from either of two opposite sides and in a medial plane extending therethrough, and hinge means at opposite sides thereof for pivotally attaching a sign panel or the like to each side of the grip and along axes parallel to the aforementioned plane so that the panels can be swung at least 180 about the pivots to reverse the relative positions of their respective surfaces and can be carried by the hand grip when in either position.

In a preferred form of the invention, the hand grip means comprises two oppositely disposed parallel hand grip members spaced from one another in a common plane and having common hinge means at opposite ends thereof to which the top edge portions of two sign panels can be pivotally attached to the hand grips.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred form thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings wherein,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sign embodying invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the sign, portions thereof being broken away and showing the sign in a folded position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the sign in an open, set-up position; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a hinge and hand grip structure of the sign.

The present invention may be utilized for providing a portable sign for various purposes such as road signs or real estate signs and the sign comprises two rectangular panels and 11 which may be formed of any suitable material; for example plywood or fiber board bonded together by suitable plastic or resin, and appropriate subject matter to be displayed may be painted or printed on the surfaces 10a and 11a.

The top edges 10b and 11b of the respective panels 10 and 11 are pivotally attached together in a closely spaced parallel coextensive relationship by a novel hand grip structure 12 which in its preferred form is comprised of two hand grip members 13 and 14 each of which has a central relatively elongated grip portion 13a and 14a respectively and leg portions 13b and 14b which are integral with intermediate hinge means comprising a pair of plates 15 and 16.

Opposite side edges of plates 15 and 16 have semi-cylinthe drical laterally projecting sections 15a and 16a respectively which form bushings or bearings for receiving hinge pins 18, 19, 20, and 21, which pins pivotally attach hingetype plates 22, 23, 24, and 25 to the opposite side edges of plates 15 and 16 respectively. As shown, plates 22, 23, 24, and 25 have laterally projecting semi-cylindrical portions 22a, 23a, 24a, and 25a which are axially aligned with the semi-cylindrical portions 15a and 16a of the plates 15 and 16 and which receive the hinge pins 18, 19, 20, and 21 respectively. As viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be seen that the hand grip portions 13a and 14a lie in a vertically extending plane and the axes of the pivots formed by pins 18, 19, 20 and 21 lie in planes parallel to and spaced from this vertically extending plane.

Plates 22, 23, 24, and 25 are suitably attached to the upper edge portions of panels 10 and 11 at the median portion thereof by suitable fasteners such as screws 27 and preferably these plates lie against the surfaces on the sides of the panels opposite those bearing the sign material. By this arrangement panels 10 and 11 can be pivotally rotated through somewhat more than relative to the hand grip.

It will be appreciated that when the panels 10 and 11 are suspended by the hand grip in the manner shown in FIG. 2 the sign material is facing inwardly and is protected from scufiing or marring during the times the sign is stored or carried to and from a site of usage, and that the sign can be conveniently carried by the hand grip similarly to a brief case or the like. Preferably, rubber buttons 30 are attached to the lower corners of both panels on the surfaces 10a and 11a respectively and the buttons on one panel are each aligned with a button on the other so that they engage one another to maintain the panel surface separated when the panels are in the position shown in FIG. 2. When it is desired to place the sign in its operative position, the panels 10 and 11 are swung about their pivot pins 19 and 18 respectively to bring the sur faces 10a and 11a outwardly with the unattached outer edges spread in the manner shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 so that the panels form an A shape which provides a sturdy support for the sign structure and at the same time the hand grip is inverted so that grip portion 14a becomes accessible at the top of the sign for ease in carrying or manipulating the sign for proper positioning, etc.

It will be understood that although I have described but one form of the invention, other forms, modifications, and adaptations could be made, all falling within the scope of the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. A portable sign structure comprising two panels, means pivotally attaching two co-extensive adjacent edges of said panels in spaced relation whereby said panels can be swung about the pivots formed by said means and cause one of said adjacent edges to swing from one side to the other of said adjacent edges so that said panels can be shifted to a position in which two given surfaces of said panels lie in close face to face relationship or in a position in which said surfaces face outwardly from one another, and hand grip means connected with the first mentioned means for providing an elongated hand gripmeans lying in a plane intermediate said panels and extending beyond the pivoted edges of said panels when said panels are in either of said positions whereby said panels may be suspended from said hand grip means when said panels are in either of the two positions mentioned.

2. A portable sign structure as defined in claim 1 in which said hand grip means comprises two coextensive parallel elongated members spaced apart sufficiently to permit a hand to extend between said members and grip one or the other of said members.

3. A hand grip member comprising two coextensive parallel elongated hand grip members having opposite ends thereof attached to a common hinge plate means, and hinge means for pivotally securing said hinge plate means to a pair of panels arranged to lie in parallel planes extending on opposite sides of said hand grip members. 4. A hand grip structure for portable signs and the like comprising two hand grip members spaced from one another for permitting a hand to extend therebetween and grasp either member, a common hinge plate attached to each end of said members and lying in a plane normal to a plane extending longitudinally of said members, and attaching plates pivotally connected to opposite sides of said hinge plate and swingable about axes extending parallel to the longitudinal axes of said members.

4 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1915 Todd 16163 7/1917 Whitney 16110 X 1/1918 Grant 16-163 X 11/1925 Shipman 40-145 X FOREIGN PATENTS 12/1922 Great Britain. 10/1960 Great Britain.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

15 JEROME SCHNALL, Examiner. 

1. A PORTABLE SIGN STRUCTURE COMPRISING TWO PANELS, MEANS PIVOTALLY ATTACHING TWO CO-EXTENSIVE ADJACENT EDGES OF SAID PANELS IN SPACED RELATION WHEREBY SAID PANELS CAN BE SWUNG ABOUT THE PIVOTS FORMED BY SAID MEANS AND CAUSE ONE OF SAID ADJACENT EDGES TO SWING FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER OF SAID ADJACENT EDGES SO THAT SAID PANELS CAN BE SHIFTED TO A POSITION IN WHICH TWO GIVEN SURFACES OF SAID PANELS LIE IN CLOSE FACE TO FACE RELATIONSHIP OR IN A POSITION IN WHICH SAID SURFACES FACE OUTWARDLY FROM ONE ANOTHER, AND HAND GRIP MEANS CONNECTED WITH THE FIRST MENTIONED MEANS FOR PROVIDING AN ELONGATED HAND GRIP MEANS LYING IN A PLANE INTERMEDIATE SAID PANELS AND EXTENDING BEYOND THE PIVOTED EDGES OF SAID PANELS WHEN SAID PANELS ARE IN EITHER OF SAID POSITIONS WHEREBY SAID PANELS MAY BE SUSPENDED FROM SAID HAND GRIP MEANS WHEN SAID PANELS ARE IN EITHER OF THE TWO POSITIONS MENTIONED. 